Assessment for Springer Nature by Centennial - Module 4: Content

Submitted by SChernomurova@… on
Are the sampled PDFs image-only?
Answer: Never
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)?
Answer: Never
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are alternative descriptions provided?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: 3 PDFs were assessed. One PDFs from 2026 passed all alternative descriptions provided. One older PDF from 2000 and one newer PDF from 2026 did not pass.
Is primary language specified?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: 2 out of 3 PDFs assessed had primary language specified. 1 PDF did not.
Is reliable character encoding provided?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: 1 PDF failed the character encoding test. 2 PDFs passed.
Are all page elements tagged?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: 1 PDF passed tagged content test. 2 PDFs failed.
Are list and table structure correct?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: 1 PDF passed the Lists and Tables accessibility test. 2 PDFs failed.
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Mathematical diagrams did not have an appropriate alt text (see file attached).
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: One PDF read the title page as "blank page" (see image attached.). Other PDFs passed.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Some mathematical graphs in one PDF did not have an appropriate alt text. Biology diagrams had an alt description in another PDF.
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes: All tables were read row by row.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Some tables could not be navigated with a screen reader.
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: 1 out of 3 PDFs tested displayed bookmarks. 2 PDFs did not.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: The PDF with bookmarks linked to correct sections. Other PDFs had missing bookmarks.
Are videos captioned?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Are the captions in sync with spoken words?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No audio files found in Springer Nature database.
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: No audio files found in Springer Nature database.
eResource: Springer Nature
eResource Type: eBooks
Vendor: Springer Publishing
Institution: Centennial
Score: B-

Key Findings

Weaknesses

  • PDFs are searchable but not tagged

PDFs

Searchable PDFs

Question Answer Notes Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only? Never
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? Never
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? Always

Tagged PDFs

Question Answer Notes Images
Are alternative descriptions provided? Sometimes 3 PDFs were assessed. One PDFs from 2026 passed all alternative descriptions provided. One older PDF from 2000 and one newer PDF from 2026 did not pass.
Is primary language specified? Sometimes 2 out of 3 PDFs assessed had primary language specified. 1 PDF did not.
Is reliable character encoding provided? Sometimes 1 PDF failed the character encoding test. 2 PDFs passed.
Are all page elements tagged? Sometimes 1 PDF passed tagged content test. 2 PDFs failed.
Are list and table structure correct? Sometimes 1 PDF passed the Lists and Tables accessibility test. 2 PDFs failed.

Structure: Reading Order

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections? Always
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? Always
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document? Always

Magnification

Question Answer Notes Images
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read? Always

Images

Positioning of Images

Question Answer Notes Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? Always

Alternative Description

Question Answer Notes Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Sometimes Mathematical diagrams did not have an appropriate alt text (see file attached).
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Sometimes One PDF read the title page as "blank page" (see image attached.). Other PDFs passed.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Sometimes Some mathematical graphs in one PDF did not have an appropriate alt text. Biology diagrams had an alt description in another PDF.

Tables

Question Answer Notes Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate? Always All tables were read row by row.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers? Sometimes Some tables could not be navigated with a screen reader.

Additional Navigational Aids

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks? Sometimes 1 out of 3 PDFs tested displayed bookmarks. 2 PDFs did not.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? Sometimes The PDF with bookmarks linked to correct sections. Other PDFs had missing bookmarks.

Video Captions

Question Answer Notes Images
Are videos captioned? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
Are the captions in sync with spoken words? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.

Described Video

Question Answer Notes Images
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents? Not Applicable No videos found in Springer Nature database.

Audio Accessibility

Question Answer Notes Images
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip? Not Applicable No audio files found in Springer Nature database.
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio? Not Applicable No audio files found in Springer Nature database.
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